We might be heading for the Trump-Berlusconi show

If Silvio Berlusconi does win, if and when President Trump and the new prime minister do meet, anything might happen. Buckle up. (AP)

On March 4, a center-right coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi is expected to win a majority in Italy's lower house of parliament.

If Berlusconi can also win a governing agreement in the Senate (which, admittedly, will be a tougher ask), the 81-year-old will become Italian prime minister for the fifth time. And if that happens, Berlusconi will offer a natural ally and friend to President Trump.

Indeed, Berlusconi is already playing straight out of Trump's playbook.

As polls have tightened in his favor, the notorious showman has embraced increasingly sharp language on a top Italian concern: immigration. Just a few days ago, Berlusconi claimed that migrants are predisposed to crime and that the present center-left government's immigration policy is a "social bomb ready to explode."

That rhetoric has enraged European elites — but facing a number of serious criminal offenses committed by migrants, Berlusconi's narrative plays well with many Italians. The recent polling data proves as much.

Still, were Berlusconi to become prime minister, he would be a natural ally for Trump.

First off, Berlusconi is a reflexively pro-American billionaire. He would probably agree overnight to increase Italian defense spending to meet the 2 percent NATO target and give Trump credit. Moreover, a savvy politician, Berlusconi would probably copy Presidents Emanuel Macron of France and Xi Jinping of China and invite Trump on a luxurious getaway. He would regale Trump with that which the president most loves to hear: descriptions of his own greatness.

At a more basic level, however, Trump and Berlusconi would also enjoy each other's company. Where Berlusconi is happy to suck up and Trump likes being sucked up to, Berlusconi also has a penchant for annoying Trump's ally-nemesis, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.

But if Berlusconi does win, if and when Trump and the new prime minister do meet, anything might happen.